Top White House budget spokesman leaving

Kenneth Baer, President Obama's top budget spokesman, will be leaving his position next week, The Hill has confirmed.

As the head of communications for the Office of Management and Budget and a key adviser to White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew, Baer has played a pivotal role in messaging during the big fiscal showdowns with Congress during this administration. He has been with OMB since the start of the Obama administration, serving budget directors Peter Orszag, Lew and acting director Jeff Zients. Prior to coming to government, Baer co-founded the publication Democracy: A Journal of Ideas.